


Thinking

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Series: The Life and Loves of Jacob Frye [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Trans Character, Coming Out, Fake Dating, Falling In Love, Henry/Evie mentioned, Jacob/Roth mentioned, Kissing, M/M, Post-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 07:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13759020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Jacob comes out to Evie, and then engages in a bet with her: he has to find a date by the next day. So naturally, he decides to ask Ned to pretend to be his date. However, things don’t exactly go as planned.





	Thinking

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to write up a sequel to my other story because I just discovered this ship and I totally love it

Jacob sat atop a high rooftop, eyes fixated on the setting sun. He had been there for hours, just gazing at the sky, thinking of everything that had happened in the last few months. Templars, Blighters, unfortunate romances… it had all pooled up in his mind, and he hadn’t stopped to even consider how he or anyone else might be affected by it. Until now, that is. Now, he was stuck, frozen deep in thought. 

As the sun passed over the horizon, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Before he could even turn, he knew it was Evie. He had been living with her familiar footsteps for years. But that would all be changing, now. Now, she was engaged to Henry. He knew there was no other man on earth who could be worthy of his twin. Henry was a very nice person, if less interesting than the people Jacob normally surrounded himself with. 

“Hello.” He muttered after a moment. “What brings you here?”

“I might ask you the same question.” Evie said, sitting down beside him. “I haven’t seen you all day. Normally, you’re galavanting around London, causing mischief and bashing heads in.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Thinking.”

“That’s a rare occurrence.” Upon seeing Jacob’s hurt expression, Evie softened. “You seem quite bothered.”

“I am. I’ve just… had a lot to think about.”

“Well, our ordeal with the Templars is over, at least for now, so you can rest easy about that one.” 

“It’s not just that, though.”

“You do seem to have quite a lot that you don’t tell me about.”

“It’s for a reason. For my own protection and yours.”

Evie frowned. “Jacob, what could you possibly need to hide from me for your own protection?”

Jacob sighed. “When I tell you this, you must promise not to tell another soul.”

“If this is about any relationship you had with Pearl, I don’t care.”

“No. It’s not Pearl. I may have felt something for her, but not enough to warrant any deep thought.”

“Then what is it?”

Jacob pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “You remember my association with Maxwell Roth?”

“Yes, I repeatedly told you to avoid him at all costs. And you did end up killing him.”

“Well, I… during the time in which I was working with him, I developed a sort of… infatuation, with the man.”

Evie’s expression was growing progressively more concerned. “Of what kind?”

“What kind do you think, Evie?” Jacob snapped. He soon realized his mistake. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

“It’s alright.” 

“Anyway, I didn’t realize this until immediately after I had already fatally stabbed the man. Because after I stabbed him, he kissed me. And I kissed back. But it was too late for either of us at that point.”

Evie remained silent for a long period of time. Eventually, she spoke again. “What does that mean? For you, I mean.”

“I’m not going to lie, I have already talked to Clara and Ned about this. They say it’s perfectly normal, that I just so happen to like both men and women. And I have… felt emotions towards men in the past, but I’ve never kissed them like I did Roth.” His eyes never wavered from the horizon, even though the sky was already dark. “I wanted you to know. I didn’t want you to hear it from rumors or anything.”

“I see.”

“And I know we’re probably going to be seeing less of each other now that you and Mr Green are engaged, so now’s as good a time as any to talk about it.”

Evie fell silent again. This time, she didn’t break it. 

“Evie, don’t leave me hanging here.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, that you’ll still support me despite my difference in lifestyle choices?”

Evie sighed. “Of course I’ll support you, Jacob. I may not entirely understand it, but I’ll support you no matter what may come. We are still twins, after all.”

“Thank you.” He said, finally looking towards her. “At least you’re on my side.”

“Me, and it seems like you’ve also got Clara and Ned.”

“Well, Clara isn’t easily fazed, and Ned is Ned, so I wasn’t surprised when they seemed to have very little reaction to my revelation. You, on the other hand, I was worried about.”

“Really? Why?”

“You like to be contrary.”

Evie scoffed. “I do not!”

“See? Look at what you’re doing right now! Being contrary!”

“I can’t believe you. Even after that heart to heart, you’re still a sarcastic bastard.”

“What can I say? It’s my natural charm.” Jacob grinned. 

“Oh, sure. Because you’re so charming.”

“I am! Why do you think so many people fall in love with me?”

“Name the number of people who you know have fallen in love with you.”

Jacob thought for a moment. “Two? Maybe three if I’m lucky.”

“Just proves my point.”

“Now, wait a minute. There are more people that I might not have known have fallen in love with me. How do I know that our dear Mr Green isn’t madly in love with me?”

“Oh, come on. You know full well he wouldn’t have proposed to me if he were in love with you.”

“Right. Bad example.” He pondered for a moment, thinking of all of the reasonable people that he knew. “Ned! How do you know that Ned isn’t in love with me?”

“Alright, you’ve got me there. I don’t. But we also don’t know if he hates you with a burning passion, and wants to push you off the back of the train the minute he gets the chance?”

“Because, he would have done it already.”

Evie thought about that for a moment. “Fair point. If I weren’t your sister, I might’ve pushed you off the train the second we got to London.”

“Hey! That’s not nice.”

“I never said I was nice.”

“Nice enough to get Mr Green to fall in love with you.”

Evie rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous that I have someone. You have even more options than I do, and you can’t even get a date!”

“Hey, I could get a date whenever I wanted. I’ve just been busy with work. Assassin stuff.” 

“Right. Assassin stuff, which keeps you so busy that you can spend an entire day sitting on a roof, consumed by your own problems.”

“That is Assassin stuff. Very important work, you see. Training your body is one thing, but training your mind is another.”

“Training your mind my thinking about what, exactly? Oh yeah, your own problems.”

“Listen, my problems are a very big deal. If I don’t have a good day, all of London feels the impact.” 

“Well, I’d love to stay and chat about your problems,” Evie said, checking her watch, “but I have to go. Dinner with Henry, you see.”

“Ah. Well, have fun with the delightful Mr Green. Try not to be too smitten.”

“Shut up.”

“You shut up.”

Evie began to stroll off, but paused. “You really could get a date, you know. And knowing you, it wouldn’t take that much effort.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Perhaps.”

Jacob stood up, putting his hands on his hips defiantly. “Fine. Then by this time tomorrow, I will have found a date who is absolutely as smitten with me as you are with Mr Green, and we can go on a double date together. If I win, you have to buy me a new gun.”

“Alright then, if I win, you have to promise to stop making fun of me and Henry. For real.”

“Deal.” Jacob held out a hand, and Evie shook it. 

After Evie left, Jacob returned to his thinking. But now, he was thinking of who he could rope in to be a reasonable date. It would take too much effort to just ask a random girl off the streets, and going to a brothel would be too unconvincing. So he would have to start off with someone he knew. Someone who would be willing to play the part of smitten date, at least just for the night. Ideally, someone who already knew a lot about him, and would be willing to put up with his antics. Because he would not lose this bet. He simply wouldn’t. 

And thus, he decided on someone. Someone he knew who at least knew him fairly well. Someone who knew of his bisexuality. Someone who would most likely be willing to play the part of fake date, so long as he were paid the right price.

“Neddie! Hello!” Jacob said, sauntering into Ned’s office on the train, where Ned sat, scribbling away at some paperwork. “How are you on this fine evening?”

“What do you want, Jacob?”

Cutting right to the chase, then. “You wouldn’t happen to be free tomorrow, some time after sundown?”

“Why? Need me to break into somewhere with you again?”

“No, actually. It is a bit of an odd favor to ask, I’m not going to lie.” He scratched his head absentmindedly. “Evie and I have this sort of bet going on, where she bet me that I couldn’t get a date by sundown tomorrow. Naturally, I realized just how challenging that would be, so I decided to go to someone I know.”

“So you came to me.”

“Yes. I did. Now, I’m not asking you to actually be my proper date. I’m asking you to fake it, convincingly, so that we can prove my sister wrong. I can pay you, if you want.”

Ned put his pen down, examining Jacob’s face through his wire-rimmed glasses. “Alright. I’ll do it. No payment needed.”

“Excellent! I was hoping you’d say that. The accepting thing, not the payment thing. Though actually I was hoping for that too.” Jacob realized he was rambling. Why was he rambling? He had no reason to be. “So, we should probably meet up beforehand, get some practice work in so we make you as convincing as a fake date can be. But if I may ask, why did you accept so quickly?”

Ned smirked. “I think it’ll be funny to see you doting over me like a schoolboy with a crush.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t call it that, but…”

“Plus, I haven’t been on a date in a while. It might be nice, even if it is a fake one. You’re paying, though.”

“Oh, naturally. I am a gentleman, of course.”

“Sure. So what time shall we get together tomorrow?”

“Well, to have enough time to practice and all, we should probably get together around noon or so.”

“Noon? Isn’t that rather early?”

“We have a lot to learn about each other. And the earlier we get together, the more practice we can fit in.”

Ned sighed. “Fine. But you’re picking me up, too. In something nice. I don’t care if the carriage is stolen, at least make sure it’s not beat to hell. I don’t want another incident like last time you tried to do a favor that involved carriages.”

“Listen, Freddie bailed me out of jail for that one, so it was fine. I know what I’m doing.”

“I certainly hope so, or else this might turn out to be a dreadful evening.”

——————

The next day, Jacob arrived at Ned’s apartment building in an almost-unscratched carriage he had taken off of a nobleman. He was even dressed in an actual suit of sorts. Though he was never one to wear full white tie, he managed to throw a jacket on over a clean white shirt with the top button popped open. He wasn’t going to pass for the king of England anytime soon, but at least he looked moderately civilized and less like he was going to pull a knife out of the depths of his coat. 

Ned seemed quite pleased to see him. “On time, I see.”

“Naturally. One must always be on time for a date.”

“Very true. Even if it is a fake one.”

The thought of that seeped in to Jacob’s mind. This whole thing was fake. An elaborate scheme to convince Evie that he was actually competent at getting someone to fall in love with him. But something within him, a little spark, didn’t want it to be fake. He wished that he were actually competent at love, and could end up in relationships longer than a one-night stand or a kiss on the brink of death. Maybe, just maybe, he could get that with Ned. 

Then, the reasonable part of his brain made an appearance. Ned would never want to be in a relationship with him. He was reckless, loud, brash, and trouble followed him wherever he went. Plus, Ned was a businessman. They led two completely different lifestyles. He wouldn’t want to put Ned at risk, nor would he want to risk dying and causing Ned distress. Jacob had never really thought too far into the future. His thoughts were usually focused on surviving the day. Most of the time, he came through unscathed. But not all the time. 

“Jacob?” Ned said, shattering his thoughts. “You look distracted. Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes. I was just… thinking about where we should go.”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t planned anything.”

“No, I have. I was just considering where to go first.”

First, Jacob decided to take him to lunch. A quick meal at a fairly terrible restaurant, but Jacob wasn’t really concerned with the quality of the fare. 

“So. What do I need to know to pass off as the date of the illustrious Jacob Frye?” Ned asked, poking at something that looked like potatoes (but might not have been) with his fork. 

“Let’s see… well, you already know most of my life story. You’ve got the whole Assassin thing, and my reckless disregard for life and limb.”

“Yes, I had worked that out by now.”

“You know about my… who I am.”

Through his vague words, Ned still seemed to understand what he meant. “Yes. I’ve got that bit. And I assumed you told Evie, which is why you chose me, a man, to bring as your date.”

“Exactly.” He thought for a moment. “You know, I don’t even know if there is much more to know about me. I’m not a very complex person.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Alright, name something you don’t know about me.”

Ned didn’t hesitate before saying, “Favorite color.”

“You’ve got me there. I… I guess my favorite color is blue? I’ve never given much thought to it.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about your favorite color.”

“But I haven’t! I’m usually busy thinking about which Templar I have to kill next, or how I’m gonna survive through the next day. Colors don’t take a lot of precedence in my mind.”

“You’ve never looked at the sunset and picked out your favorite hue?”

“I…” He had looked at the sunset. In fact, he looked at it a lot. It was one of the beauties of nature, something you couldn’t often find in a city like London. “Orange. That’s the color I like best. Orange, when the sun’s just about to dip below the horizon, and the buildings are all bathed in a brilliant light.” 

Ned nodded, content. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”

“Ask me something else.”

“Favorite book?”

Jacob scoffed. “You know full well I know nothing about literature. Sure, I can read, but I don’t get much time to read for leisure.”

“Hm. Favorite place in London?”

“Truth be told, I haven’t been here for very long, so I don’t really know what my favorite places are. I think I spend more time on the rooftops than I do in the actual buildings. Does that count as a place?”

“Works for me.”

Jacob realized how one-sided this whole thing was. “You know, we both have to know each other in order to pass this off. What are your answers to those questions?”

Ned pondered for a moment. “Favorite color is red, favorite book is A History Of Locomotives, and favorite place is the park.”

“Hmm. Interesting. I have no idea what any of that information means to either of us, but it is interesting.”

“To be able to properly know someone, you need to know their likes and dislikes. It might never come up again, but it does give you a greater familiarity with the person.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “You’ve done this before.” 

“No, but I’ve been on dates before. The key to a good relationship is communication, and knowing what the other person wants.”

Ah. That must’ve been where he had gone wrong. “I’ve never been very good at communication. Or at holding down a relationship for more than one night.” He paused. “How many relationships have you been in?”

“A few. Not too many, considering my circumstances. But a few.” Ned seemed to close up at that sort of talk of relationships, so Jacob decided to change the subject. 

“In order to make this really convincing, we’re going to have to call each other pet names. What should I call you?”

“Ned.”

Jacob smirked. “That’s no fun. How about Neddie? Or darling? Sweetheart? Sugarbutt?”

“Good god, no. Darling is your limit. Anything more, and I’m telling your sister that I’m not actually your date.”

“You wouldn’t do that. Would you?”

“I might. You never know.”

That put a little bit of fear into Jacob’s mind, but he decided not to address it. “You can call me any pet names you feel appropriate. Jacob, honey, sugar, sweetie, cookie…”

“Eggs, flour, milk…” Ned smiled, a different sort of grin that Jacob had yet to see on his face until now. “The whole grocery list.”

“You certainly may not call me Milk.”

“Damn. I was so looking forward to it.”

“You know that if you called me that our cover would be blown.”

“Maybe, but it would be incredibly funny.”

“For you, maybe.”

Jacob found that he was quite enjoying this banter with Ned. He had a sense of humor hidden behind those glasses, and it showed. 

“Ned, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, Milk.”

“Don’t start. Now, why is it that when you’re dealing with business, you’re always… I don’t want to say a stick in the mud, but you aren’t exactly the most thrilling character. But outside of work, your sense of humor is incredible. Why is that?”

“I have to keep up a business persona when dealing with clients. When it’s just you, it really doesn’t matter. I can let loose a little more.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose, smiling slightly. “I’m flattered that you think so highly of my humor. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were falling in love with me.”

He might have been, but he wasn’t going to admit that. Not yet, anyway. “You wish, darling.” 

Ned seemed skeptical for a moment more, before returning to his normally slightly bemused expression. “I must ask, why did you choose this restaurant?”

“It was there, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure my potatoes are a living mass. Perhaps we should continue on to our next activity.” 

“You’re probably right. Let’s go.”

Jacob didn’t exactly have a plan, so he decided to take Ned on a scenic tour of London’s rooftops. 

“Do people ever notice your footsteps atop their houses?” Ned asked, hesitant to climb from one rooftop to a much higher one. 

“Nah. I think they probably assume it’s an animal or something. Do you need help?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” Ned, through an intense struggle, managed to pull himself up to the next rooftop. After a moment spent laying down recovering, he managed to stand up. 

“Are you sure? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it in a few minutes, just give me some time.”

“You know it took me years to get the hang of free-running across rooftops.”

“I’m a fast learner.”

Jacob smirked. “I should hope so.”

Ned proved not to be a fast learner in this department, and soon had to take a break, sitting against a chimney. 

“This is much more challenging than one would expect.” Ned muttered, catching his breath. 

Jacob smiled. “It is, isn’t it? But I like the challenge. The wind in your hair, the adrenaline in your veins. Knowing that one wrong step could send you falling. It’s thrilling.” 

“You have fun with that. I think I’ll stick to the ground.” 

“If you insist. Come on, I’ll show you how to get down.”

Once safely on the ground, Jacob decided to take Ned to a place he would probably like more than London rooftops. The aforementioned park. 

“This’ll be our last stop before we have to meet up with Evie.” Jacob said, hopping out of the carriage. “We’ll probably be able to see the sunset from here.”

“Was this bit planned, or was this as spur of the moment as the rest of our little jaunt?”

“Do I look like the type of man who plans anything?”

“That’s true, you don’t.” 

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so mean, Evie will think we hate each other rather than love each other.”

“Of course.”

After a brief moment of only slightly awkward silence, Jacob decided to take Ned’s arm into his. “So, since you probably know way more about the park than I do, care to show me around?”

“Gladly.”

Almost immediately, Jacob regretted taking the other man’s arm. He soon found himself entirely focused on their small points of contact, his breath nearly hitching when their shoulders touched. This was bad. He shouldn’t have been thinking like this, when he knew that this would all be over in a few short hours. But he liked the feeling of having someone else beside him, someone who actually liked him, wanted to spend time with him. And he liked Ned. As the day had gone on, he found that they did seem to share more similarities than he could have ever imagined. And he wasn’t bad looking. In fact, he was rather attractive. Very attractive. And very out of reach. As far as Jacob could tell, Ned had no romantic inclinations towards him at all. Leaving him to savor the moment, and hope he didn’t end up heartbroken afterwords. 

Ned happily talked about different aspects of the park, and the different types of birds and trees, most of which went right over Jacob’s head. He had no idea what any of it meant, but he was simply engrossed in the enthusiastic way Ned spoke. They came across a small pond, with an even smaller island in the middle. 

“This is my favorite place in London. This spot right here.” Ned said. 

“I can see why. It’s quite lovely.” 

“You can’t heat most of the hustle and bustle of the city, so it’s a nice place to come and think. Sometimes I’ll get work done on that bench over there. And when the sun sets, it reflects off of the pond.” 

“That should only be a few minutes now, I think.” Jacob noticed how the sun was becoming perilously low in the sky. 

“Shall we sit?” Ned motioned to a bench, and Jacob obliged. It was rather small, so their knees brushed against each other. 

“You’ve, uh, you’ve been an excellent fake date so far.”

“Really? That’s good. Perhaps you may even win this bet after all. What do you get out of it, if you win?”

“Evie promised to buy me a new gun.”

“And if you lose?”

“I can no longer make fun of Evie and Henry. Which, if I can’t do that, I’ll lose the most important part of my personality.”

“I’m sure that that’s not that important. You have plenty of other aspects to fall back on, should the need arise.”

“I know, but I do so love making fun of them.”

“I’m sure.” Ned gave him an odd sort of smile, like he knew something that Jacob didn’t. “After all this is over, what happens if Evie asks about our relationship?”

“I haven’t really thought that far. I suppose I’ll have to tell her that we broke up, loudly, disturbing the neighbors.” Jacob took his gaze from the sunset and looked at Ned. “Why, do you have other plans?”

“No, no.” Jacob’s heart fell. “I just kind of figured that you’d be proving her right.” 

“I know, I know. But I’m not the best communicator and I rarely talk about my feelings, so it’s no wonder every relationship I have ends in rubble. I am going to die an old bachelor, while my sister and Mr Green live a happy, full, married life. Or a young bachelor, given my choice of lifestyle.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I might as well know it. Might as well face it now, so that the future is easier to bear.”

Jacob felt the sudden but unmistakable sensation of another hand in his. Ned, though his eyes were fixed on the now brilliant colors of the setting sun, had taken Jacob’s hand. “Watch, the sun’s about to set.”

Jacob gazed towards the sunset, the brilliant yellows, reds, and oranges bleeding out into the dark purple sky. The sun sank deeper and deeper, until it finally slipped beneath the horizon, leaving the world blanketed in night. 

For some reason, Jacob felt himself obliged to whisper. “That was beautiful.” 

“It was.”

“Each time I witness a London sunset I am awed by it.” He turned back towards Ned. “And it’s even better in good company.”

If it weren’t dark, he could have sworn that he saw Ned blushing. “We should meet your sister.”

“Right. Yes. Of course. No use making the bet if I don’t show up at the end.”

Jacob escorted Ned to the place that he and Evie had agreed to meet up. Naturally, Evie was there first, accompanied by Henry. 

“Hello there, sister dear!” Jacob exclaimed. In a quick attempt to make his charade seem more convincing, he put his arm around Ned’s shoulders. Since Ned didn’t complain, he kept it there. “I brought my date!”

Evie raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? This isn’t just some set-up thing where he agrees to be your date for the night, is it?”

“No, of course not. What do you take me for, a charlatan?”

“Perhaps.”

Henry looked confused. “When you told me your brother would bring a date, I can honestly say I did not expect this.”

Jacob beamed. “Ah, Henry. You see, Neddie and I are madly in love. It just took the right moment to see it.”

Ned elbowed Jacob in the ribs. “I thought I told you that darling was the limit.” He whispered hoarsely. 

“Right. Yes. Sorry.” He whispered back. He returned his voice to his normal near-shouting. “You lose the bet, Evie, because I have found a date.”

Evie, naturally, had already thought this out. “Not yet. To prove to me that you didn’t just hire Ned to be your date for the night, I want you to kiss him.”

“Kiss him? Why should I need—“

Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by Ned’s lips on his. After his initial surprise, he closed his eyes and started to kiss back. 

“Alright, I get the point.” Evie said, prompting Jacob to pull away. But he didn’t want to. “Come on, lovebirds, lets get this double date started.”

Jacob was left speechless. Henry and Evie walked on ahead, while Jacob fell behind with Ned, just far enough to talk without being heard. 

“No witty banter this time, Frye?”

“You must call me Jacob, at least around my sister.”

“Fine. Jacob.”

“Why did you do it? I wouldn’t have kissed you if you didn’t want to.”

“For the bet, naturally. We’re too far into it to give up now.” Though his words were confident, he didn’t even look at Jacob when he spoke. 

“Right. Naturally. Of course.” He found that since the kiss had occurred, his breath had yet to catch up with him. “It was just abrupt, that’s all.”

“Did you not want to kiss me? Is that it?”

“No! That’s not it at all.” He realized just how quickly the words had come out. “I mean, we have to keep up appearances. And you know how much I hate losing, especially to my sister.” 

“Oh, of course.” His voice had the distinct sound of a man whose heart has been crushed under the heel of a boot. 

They fell into a bit of an awkward silence. Knowing that he couldn’t just let it linger, he cleared his throat. “It was quite good. The kiss, I mean. Are you classically trained?”

The spark of a smile crossed Ned’s face. “Yes, I wanted to kiss competitively, but I was no match against the champion.”

“And who exactly is the champion of kissing?”

“I’ll not say.”

“Aww, come on, you can’t just leave it off like that.”

“How else am I supposed to retain my air of mystery?”

Jacob chuckled. “Fair point. But you’ll promise to tell me one day?”

“Yes. One day. But not right now.” 

Evie had apparently decided to take their entourage not to a restaurant, but to none other than the fight club. 

“Evie, this isn’t a place you’d take a date!” Jacob yelled over the crowd. 

“Then tell me, where would you take a date?”

“A restaurant, or the park or something!”

“I don’t think either of our dates will mind watching a few matches. Ned, do you mind?”

Ned shook his head. “Not at all. I’ve been meaning to get down here, anyways.”

Evie and Henry weaved away through the crowd, leaving Jacob and Ned at a table near the back. Some waiter brought them a few scuzzy beers, and Jacob immediately began nursing his.

“It’s no good to get drunk on a date.” Ned said, playfully elbowing him in the arm. “For many, it’s a big turn-off.”

“Are you saying you’re turned on by me, Mr Wynert?”

“Perhaps, Mr Frye. But I’ll never tell.”

Jacob leaned his elbow on the table, looking directly into Ned’s eyes. “You adore stringing me along like this, don’t you?”

“Who said I was stringing you along? You’re the one who hired me to be their date. If anything, you’re the one stringing me along.”

“Do I look like the kind of man who would ever string anybody along?”

“You said yourself you’re not good at communicating.”

There was an incredibly small area of space between the two of them. Jacob could feel Ned’s breath tingling against his lips, sending his heart and possibly other areas aflutter. 

“Is that a knife in your pocket,” Ned whispered, “or are you just happy to see me?”

Jacob reached into his pocket. “No, that one is actually a knife. In fact, I probably have way too many of these.” He emptied several knives onto the table. 

Ned laughed halfheartedly. “Of course you would have actual knives in your pocket.”

Jacob felt himself beginning to blush. “I’m not going to lie, Ned. I have a boner too, not just the knives.”

“Perhaps the alcohol had addled your mind.”

“Ah, yes, one sip has me roaringly drunk. Silly me.”

“Jacob…” Ned moved back ever so slightly. “Where are we going with this?”

“I like you, Ned. A lot. Probably too much for my own good. It’s taken us fake-dating for me to see that I want something to happen between us. For real.” 

“You’re sure about this?”

“Yes. Now, if you don’t, then I’ll back off. I’ve never been quite as good at reading people as my sister. But if I have been reading this right, then I’m tired of holding back.”

A painful moment of hesitation. Then, Ned spoke. “So am I. But we probably shouldn’t talk about this too much here. Somewhere more private, maybe.”

“Where are you suggesting?”

“My apartment.”

Jacob grinned. “Why, Mr Wynert, how scandalous!”

“Don’t make me change my mind.”

“Right. Yes. Sorry.”

“Should we tell Evie before we leave?”

“Nah, she’ll probably figure it out. Plus, she’s up next to fight, so that’ll take up most of her time.” He held out his arm, and Ned took it. “Mr Wynert.”

“Mr Frye.” 

——————

Jacob awoke to Ned sleeping soundly beside him. It must’ve been early, for the sun wasn’t up yet. After a moment, he swung his legs out of bed and walked over towards the window. The smog of London blocked out even the brightest of stars, but the moon could still be seen shining just above the horizon. 

He heard the sound of sheets ruffling, and turned to see that Ned had rolled over. The light of the moon reflected off of the other man, making him look almost angelic. 

“Jacob?” Ned muttered, eyes still not open. 

“I’m here, darling. Just wanted to see the moon.” He slid back into bed, and Ned soon wrapped himself around him. 

“Mm. You can usually see it from here when it’s out.” 

“It’s quite pretty.”

“Certainly. Now go back to sleep.”

Jacob smiled, the smile of a man very much in love. “You’re no fun.”

“That’s not what you were saying last night.” 

“True, true.” 

“Go to sleep, before I start calling you Milk again.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I certainly would. Milk.”

Jacob laughed, sliding deeper under the covers. “You know just how to torment me, Mr Wynert.”

“Yes, and you love it.”

“I do, I do.” Jacob ran a hand down Ned’s face, pausing to rub his thumb along Ned’s lips. “You’re quite handsome when you’re asleep.”

“Good. Then let me go back to it.”

“You know full well neither of us is getting much sleep at this point.”

“Fine. You win. But just this once.”

Jacob smiled, before pressing a kiss to Ned’s nose. “You never did tell me who the champion of kissing is.”

“Guess.”

“You know I can’t stand guessing.”

“Fine. It’s you, Milk.”

Jacob pretended to look offended. “I thought we were over that!”

“I’m sorry, but it’s just too funny.” Ned sat up on his elbow, smiling cheekily. “Now, kiss me before I fall back to sleep again.”

Jacob kissed him again, this time on the lips. It just felt so right to kiss Ned, so unbelievably good. He melted into it, only separating when he was gasping for air. 

“God, I adore you.” Jacob muttered, kissing along Ned’s jaw and down his neck. 

“It certainly seems like you do.” His words seemed sarcastic, but his expression was that of pure pleasure. “You’re going to keep me up all night.”

“That’s the idea.”

“I’m useless without my beauty sleep.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll find a way to get around that somehow.”

“If you insist.” Ned conceded. “But if we’re going to do this again, we’re going to do it my way.”

“Your way?” Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Please, enlighten me.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jacob felt himself being flipped onto his back. Ned’s hands were on each side of his head, and he groaned the second he felt the unmistakable feeling of Ned leaving a hickey on his neck. 

“My, my.” Jacob said, his voice beginning to turn into a moan. “I think I’m going to like your way.”

“I know you will.” 

“Getting cocky, Mr Wynert?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

**Author's Note:**

> I relate to Jacob because I too am a bisexual mess


End file.
